How Christians are Second-Class Citizens

While news regarding the “War on Christmas” brought this topic to mind, that’s really just the tip of the iceberg. The fact of the matter is that Christians have become second-class citizens in our culture. We are less than other people in our society. It’s a real problem.

I started noticing this when I was in college. I was sitting in one of my education classes. During this class, we did a series about certain students and their needs. This included students that had physical handicaps, students who were special needs, and students that were homosexual. I found the inclusion of the last one to be rather interesting.

We talked about a number of topics related to homosexual students including what to do if a student came out of the closet during class and the fact that we as teachers shouldn’t use phrases such as “That’s gay!” or “Don’t be a queer.” Those phrases that might be offensive to gays who are gay and may or may not be open about it. Fair enough. I don’t want to do offend my students.

But, playing devil’s advocate, I thought of a few arguments that people might use for that whole ordeal. These included things such as “They shouldn’t force their opinion of sexual orientation on me!” “You’re just a nut-job if you believe that that’s natural!” and “Well, that’s their opinion on that topic and I don’t agree with it.” While I don’t approve of the homosexual lifestyle, I don’t believe that these are acceptable arguments and I doubt many would.

Being a Christian, I started thinking about what others have said and done that has offended me, including the teacher that had us go through these sessions. One thing was the fact that people take the Lord’s name in vain. I’m insulted when someone irreverently throws around the name of my Savior. Yet I get a common response when I mention this to someone. It’s usually something like “You shouldn’t force your religious views on me.” “You’re just an overly sensitive nut,” or “Well, that’s your opinion and I don’t agree with it.”

Odd how those seem rather familiar to arguments most people wouldn’t accept for a different topic. But we never had a class discussion about how to not offend Christian students or what to do if a student declares they got saved.

Recent news has shown me that this wasn’t an isolated thing. Fox News’ Eric Bolling recently had a little “discussion” with Dan Barker, an atheist with Freedom From Religion, regarding the “War on Christmas.” During the discussion, the atheist called Christianity a mythology, a superstition, and repeatedly called it an insult. Barker goes off topic to say these things as well. Bolling never asks Barker his opinion of Christianity. The fact that Barker thinks so little of Christianity has nothing to do with if the Nativity Scene in question is okay. And then Barker goes out of his way to attack Christianity a second time after Bolling tries to get Barker back on topic.

Eric Bolling, ladies and gentlemen.

Outside Christian and conservative circles, which are usually connected like a Venn diagram, I haven’t seen any of this hit the mainstream media.

Now compare that to the fact that Kobe Bryant was fined $100,000 for using an anti-gay slur. It was one of the largest fines the NBA ever delivered. His words weren’t as explicit as Barker’s were either. Bryant just muttered a word while Barker went on a full-out assault on Christianity. I don’t approve of Bryant’s actions, but I’m sure a number of players have said things I would find offensive and no fine has been issued that I could find.

Again, there are more examples out there. With Denver Bronco Tim Tebow being so vocal about his faith in God, he’s become a controversial topic. Bill Press had some thoughts during his radio show. Here’s a clip.

For those not up on acronyms, STFU stands for “Shut the F dash dash dash up.”

Press calls Tim Tebow a disgrace and an embarrassment mostly for his faith in Jesus. His argument doesn’t rely on Tebow’s QB rating, completion percentage, or number of interceptions.

Press didn’t finish his rant there. On his blog, he posted “Jesus said a lot of strong things. But one of the strongest things he ever said was: When you pray, don’t be like those hypocrites who like to stand on a street corner and pray, so everybody can see them.”

Press apparently doesn’t know his Bible very well.

Acts 1:8 says “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Matthew 28:19 reads “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 “Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Jesus Christ concerning you.”

I could go with more, but I’ll leave just one more for Press, Proverbs 17:28 “Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.”

As if Press’ comments weren’t disturbing enough already. I look at them with an additional perspective. Growing up in the ‘90’s, I had David Robinson as a role-model. I watched him and was encouraged by his faith in God and the quality of his character.  While I enjoyed watching the Spurs win, it wasn’t their record that caused me to become a fan. It was who they were as a team.
Compare that to the characteristics of so many professional athletes. There’s a large number of them that are getting into drugs, cheating on their wives, getting arrested, and shooting themselves in the leg. With that in mind, why in the world would Press bash Tebow? What message is he sending to our kids? He’s essentially saying that in a world where having a rap sheet is common, talking about Jesus is what makes one a disgrace.

It’s not that big of a stretch to say that Press would have gotten different results from the public if he said such things about an athlete regarding another aspect of who they are. Compare Press’ comments to this clip.

Rush Limbaugh on ESPN

For the record, Rush Limbaugh was forced to resign following those comments. They were comments more focused at the media than anything else, but they were close enough to being offensive that they merited the end of his work with ESPN.

But maybe I’m wrong on this. Maybe I’m picking a few key cases and this isn’t representative of the majority. So I figured I’d turn to the 99%. Enter the Occupy Movement!

The people at Misfit Politics put together a nativity scene at Occupy DC and shared some of the reactions they got. Censorship warning: one hat in this video does have profanity on it.

How ya gonna tweet about the Nativity Scene? “On our iPhones!”

This display showing the religious nature of the upcoming holiday at an Occupy camp is met with questions regarding its legality (oh, the irony!). They’re advised to move it. One man says it’s offensive to him and other people, but the message of the Occupy movement is offensive for anyone who works for a living and is proud to do so. One girl says she’s Jewish and offended by the display. But I don’t know a single Christian who is offended by a menorah. In fact, Fox News’ show “The Five” has a menorah as part of their holiday decorations.

About half of the people interviewed are positive and the other half are negative, but I challenge anyone to find a group of people that would draw that much hate from the Occupy movement (not counting the “1%”).

It’s not just limited to Occupy. When ignoring groups such as the KKK, Neo-Nazis, and the Westboro Baptist Church, it would be a challenge to find a group of people in America that will publicly express distaste for a group of people because of their race, religion, or anything of that sort.

Yes, there are probably some who mumble to themselves a comment about terrorists when they pass a Mosque. There are still some people who privately hold racist views. But publicly, these types of comments just aren’t acceptable. However, a show like Family Guy can totally get away with a “joke” like this and get zero public scrutiny.

This shows a complete lack of understanding when it comes to history

The fact that I have to look for groups like the KKK, the Nazis, and Westboro Baptist Church to compare to people like Barker, Press, and the creators of Family Guy is very telling. It’s not only telling of those who participate in it, but also of those who let it happen.

UPDATE:
News on this topic flows in on almost a daily basis. During the holiday weekend, Comedian Bill Maher tweeted "Wow, Jesus just f---ed #TimTebow bad! And on Xmas Eve! Somewhere ... Satan is tebowing, saying to Hitler 'Hey, Buffalo’s killing them'" (censorship mine). Bill Maher still has a job and hasn't been publicly reprimanded by HBO which airs his show.

Latest is Over a RealReaganConservative.com

I've been a bit annoyed by the negativity by a number of conservatives regarding 2012. Clearly, we're not happy with the field. We can all find problems with each candidate. I'm not too surprised. Given the mess the past 3 years have been, we've needed the perfect candidate. But we're not getting it. That doesn't mean conservatives should give up on 2012. I wrote about why there's still plenty of good to be had in November.

Check it out!

Why Ron Paul Can’t Win

I’ll never forget the first time I heard Ron Paul speak. It was a little over four years ago. I got a phone call from a friend of mine who was, at the time, attending the University of Michigan. He told me that Congressman Paul was going to be there to give a speech. At first, I was a little hesitant.

After all, despite being a lifelong Wolverine fan, the reason I didn’t personally attend U of M was because as far as politics are concerned, it is extremely left-leaning. So why a Republican candidate would pick that location to give a speech in Michigan was beyond me. Having attended school in West Michigan, I knew that that was a place that was much more friendly to conservatives (maybe that’s why Grand Rapids is in better shape than Detroit, but I digress).

Despite my reservations, I figured at the very least I would get to visit with some old friends, so I went anyways.

As Paul began to speak, I started thinking “This is our guy!” But that started to change as the speech went on.

Paul would say something along the lines of “We need to follow our Constitution as it’s written!”

YES!

“We need to secure our borders”

RIGHT ON!

“We need lower taxes and have more personal responsibility!”

AMEN!

“We need to legalize pot!”

Uhh….

“We need to decrease the size of our military!”

Hold on…

I had never gone from loving a guy to hoping that he wouldn’t get the GOP nomination so quickly.

Thankfully, Ron Paul has no chance of winning the GOP nomination. That was true four years ago and it’s true today. The “Paulbots” as some are calling supporters of Ron Paul, need to realize this.

National polls have Ron Paul hovering between 13% and 4%. However, consider this: RonPaul.com reports that in a national poll in August 2010, Paul brought in 4% of the vote with 5 choices presented to those surveyed. In November 2010 when the number of choices went to 8, Paul had 5%. What does this mean? People aren’t going to jump from one of the other candidates to support Ron Paul. He gets about the same percentage if he’s got 4 competitors or if he’s got 7. So as the numbers decrease (for example, if Cain drops out as some are suggesting he may), there’s no evidence to suggest that people will join the Paul camp. It doesn’t matter if there are 2 choices or 200, Paul will consistently get anywhere from 4% to 13% of the vote.

In fact, the diversity of the GOP field coupled with Paul having a guaranteed 4-13% is the main reason he took second in a recent Iowa poll. He may have done better than Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, Rick Perry, and Michele Bachmann, but if that crowd was smaller, he would have lost because those that remained would have gotten votes from the supporters of candidates who left the race.

There’s a reason for this. Let’s consider just one part of Ron Paul’s platform: Israel. Here’s what Paul said regarding the US and Israel during one of the debates.

Paul doesn’t stand with Israel

Ron Paul is saying we’re in the way of Israel. He says he wouldn’t support Israel if they attacked Iran to prevent them from getting nuclear weapons. He goes on to say that we “interfere” with Israel.

I challenge any of the Paulbots to find a case where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says anything similar. I want to hear it right from Netanyahu’s mouth that we’re “interfering” with Israel. Netanyahu makes regular trips to the United States. I don’t get the impression that that’s his key message.

The fact of the matter is that Israel is a friend of the United States. How many standing leaders of NATO nations have had the honor of speaking to a joint session of Congress? Netanyahu has done it twice. And, as Paul pointed out, we don’t even have a treaty with Israel. At least nothing like we have with NATO.

And this isn’t a GOP/Democrat thing. When Netanyahu addressed Congress in May, he said “And I do see a lot of old friends here. And I see a lot of new friends of Israel here as well, Democrats and Republicans alike.” That was only followed by about 20 seconds of applause. It was followed by Netanyahu saying “Israel has no better friend than America and America has no better friend than Israel.” That was followed by about 17 seconds of applause. Not many statements will get that kind of support from a group fairly evenly divided by party affiliation. And yet, Ron Paul has pretty much written off support of Israel. Even if he was elected, how is Paul going to get these people who are standing with Israel to change? As Paul himself says, it’s Congress that declares war. Well look at where Congress is with Israel on your own.

Shorter Netanyahu: US+Israel = BFFs

That’s not all! The Anti-Defamation League put out an article saying the support of Evangelical Christians for Israel is a good thing. It goes on to say “In many ways, the Christian Right stands out as the most consistently supportive group of Israel in America.” It also says that while members of both parties in Congress supports Israel, “…there is no doubt that Evangelical members are notably aggressive in their support, proposing resolutions and speaking out forcefully.” 

It’s not just Christians in Congress. The article also says “…polls of American public opinion reveal, in marked contrast to similar polls in Europe, that the American people support Israel over the Palestinians by a significant margin. A key element in these consistent findings in many polls… is the overwhelming support for Israel among individuals calling themselves Evangelical.” The article goes on and on and on.

If someone said to me that Obama was more pro-Israel than Paul, I wouldn’t be able to argue against that.

Ron Paul’s platform doesn’t sit well with THE biggest voting bloc in the Republican Party. This isn’t to say that Christians will go out and vote for Obama, it’s to say they won’t show up on election day at all. How does a Republican win without them?

Weakened support from Christians for the GOP Presidential candidate will trickle down to Congressional races and the Democractic Party could potentially have the biggest victory in history. A Ron Paul nomination would be the best thing that could happen to Obama and for ObamaCare, Porkulus II, you name it. With a President and a party that ignores the Constitution so much, a Ron Paul nomination would damage that document more than any other candidate in the GOP race. How’s that for irony?

And it’s not just his platform that’s going to sink Paul. He’s not going to be able to replace much lost support by picking up people who don’t identify as Evalgelical Christians. Let’s listen to Ron Paul talk.

Um…

When watching this video, I used an old teaching method I was exposed to when I was getting started in radio. It’s called an “um” counter. In short, we count the number of times a person stutters or says something like “um” or “uh.” In 5 minutes, Paul’s “um” counter was at 14.

Now contrast this with President Obama in one of his debates in 2008 race.

No Ron Paul

While Obama stumbles a couple times, he’s clearly a better speaker than Ron Paul. Hillary Clinton even complimented Obama on his speaking ability.

And before any Paulbots say that that shouldn’t matter, unfortunately it does. If anyone disagrees, just do a Bing search on the Nixon-Kennedy debates. There’s a reason Time said “It’s now common knowledge that without the nation’s first televised debate… Kennedy would never have been president.” Any history teacher will say the same. Debates matter and public image matters. Ron Paul can’t win against someone as polished as Obama. That’s especially true considering he’s already alienated the Christian Right by not supporting Israel.

I haven’t even touched on other parts of his platform or the fact that he’s a Congressman (how many people from the House have been elected President in the past 100 years?). To cover all the reasons who Paul can’t win, I’d have to write a book. These are just the key reasons.

So, Paulbots, when a commentator overlooks Ron Paul, don’t act like they’re not giving him a chance. Don’t say that they’re in with Corporate America, are part of the war machine, or anything like that. Wake up and smell American politics. He doesn’t stand a chance.

The Real Problem with Herman Cain’s “9-9-9” Plan

It may not seem like it at first glance, but Herman Cain’s campaign has a serious problem. I’m not talking about the women making claims of inappropriate behavior. There has been a bigger problem. The interesting part is that Cain is flaunting it, it’s just that most haven’t put two and two together.

Let’s consider Cain’s “9-9-9” plan. It moves us to a 9% income tax, a 9% business tax, and a 9% national sales tax. If you’d like to get an idea of how it plays out, here’s what Cain’s campaign has put out on it.

Whether or not the plan will work out is currently irrelevant to this discussion. But this plan could be said to be THE key plank in Cain’s platform. It is one part of two key things he’s running on.

The other key plank is the fact that he’s not a career politician. Right now, the race is full of those who have been in politics for some time. This is especially true if one looks at the front runners. Mitt Romney’s father was governor of Michigan, he was governor of Massachusetts, and he’s been in this race more than once. Newt Gingrich was Speaker of the House. Rick Perry has been governor of Texas for about a decade. Cain on the other hand, sells himself as being the political outsider. He’s the only one in the debates that isn’t addressed with a title like Governor, Senator, or Ambassador (however, I do wish they’d stop asking the Ambassador questions). Herman Cain is just Mr. Cain.

And there lies the problem with “9-9-9.” It is a radically new tax code. I would argue it’s not that different of a change from our current tax code when compared to our Constitution and the Articles of Confederation. It’s pretty much a complete rebuild with very few elements of the original surviving.

What Cain is essentially doing is proposing a completely radical change to our tax code and then saying he has no experience in such matters. That seems like quite the challenge.

Think of it like this: Let’s say someone came up with a completely new way of building a house. Their design suggested that the finished project would have lower utility costs, would be more secure from buglers, would cost less to build, and was child-safe to boot. It sounds great and I’m sure people would line up to get this design for their next home. It’d be like if Apple was to release a new iPhone, iPad, and MacBook on the same day.

And then let’s say the person who came up with this design said “And I’m going to build it! Even though I’ve got no experience building a house!” I imagine the people in line would lose their excitement and try to find ways to sneak out of line without being noticed. They might think it’d turn out worse than if it was done by Tim Allen’s character on “Home Improvement.”

We’ll be right back after these messages from Binford!

We see this problem with inexperience in the White House right now. Part of the reason Obama can’t get anything done is because he doesn’t know how. His name isn’t attached to any major legislation prior to becoming President and what has his name attached to it now is pretty much universally hated. He didn’t even finish a single term as a senator.

The only difference is I’m thankful Obama has that problem because I imagine when he was in high school, he’d scribble “I <3 Marx” on his notebooks with puppy dog eyes.

But the combination of Cain’s lack of political experience and his bold “9-9-9” plan are why I believe that if he got into office, he wouldn’t be a great president. He would push this one plan and without a clear mandate from the people (which I don’t believe he’s getting and I don’t think he has the talent to get), it’s not going to happen. His administration would be marked in history as a failure and America would look elsewhere in 2016.

Let’s also not forget that the GOP doesn’t have a majority in both houses right now and it’s not a guarantee that they’ll have a supermajority after the 2012 election either. So Cain would have to get this legislation passed with a sizeable opposition, and that’s assuming he can get every Republican on board. Everything is stacked against Cain getting “9-9-9” passed.

Quite frankly, Cain has what could be a great idea that improves out economy. Cain’s video calls it slaying the tax monster. But I don’t exactly see Cain having a history of defeating dragons, Godzilla, or Nancy Pelosi.

The AT&T/T-Mobile Merger Is a Bad Idea

Some time ago, AT&T looked to pick up T-Mobile USA from their German parents Deutsche Telekom. Since then, it has hit a few road bumps. While many observers said it would be approved without a doubt, things are looking quite different. The FCC has decided that the merger is not in the best interest of the public. I’ve found I’m on a different page than many people expect me to be on this issue. I’m very much opposed to the acquisition.

The very title of this blog points to why that’s the case. I’m a conservative who believes in the constitution and capitalism. It’s the last of the three C’s that defines why I’m opposed to this merger.

Part of being a capitalist is understanding economics and how economics works. One thing to keep in mind is what a monopoly is and the problems with one. Anyone who has taken ECON 101 knows that a monopoly exists without competition and, therefore, crushes the benefits we get with competition. We lose the battle for the best product at the lowest price.

When it’s something that’s esoteric or something that people don’t depend on daily, that’s one thing. If someone opened a Russian and Indian restaurant in a town, it would probably be the only one and would have no competition. However, most people have no need or interest in such a restaurant and there are plenty of products they could substitute it with (like cooking at home). Chyron has historically been the only provider of on screen graphics for television production. But how many of us need a device to do that? Not many of us produce live television broadcasts. We can’t really say the same with cell phones since they’re a primary tool for communications for many people. I know when I don’t have my Windows Phone in my pocket, I feel lost.

Now someone reading this right now is probably thinking that it wouldn’t be a monopoly. We would still have Verizon and Sprint. Fair enough. But it does leave us with just one GSM carrier in the US. Even for those that don’t care about the difference between GSM and CDMA, their choices are still limited more than they would be otherwise. If the merger went through, Sprint would become a distant 3rd in the race and it wouldn’t take much for them to be forced out. Well then we’d be down to two choices.

The thing about capitalism is that the more players there are on the field, the more competition there is. Not only does a company have to compete with competitor A and B, they also have to compete with competitor Z. But as we slowly remove players in the market, the less one has to work to get and keep customers. That’s the problem we have in the cell phone industry today.

With only two players in the market, or a duopoly, we near characteristics of a true monopoly. It’s easier for two companies to engage in price fixing than if there was more competition.

Look at the market right now. Most people have to pay for a texting package if they want to send SMS messages. These packages currently cost as follows (for unlimited texts on a single plan):

• $20.00/month on AT&T
• $20.00/month on Verizon
• $10.00/month on T-Mobile
• $10.00/month on Sprint

Now here’s the kicker: it costs the cell phone companies next to nothing to send a text message. These rates are about 99.9% profit. That’s not very competitive or consumer friendly. But then that’s what you get when there’s not much competition.

Right now, a cheeseburger and a small fries at McDonald’s costs about $2. That’s about the same price as a Happy Meal, which comes with a toy. Now imagine if for that toy that probably cost McDonald’s pennies to produce, they charged $8 more for the Happy Meal than the alternative of buying the other parts separately. But they don’t do that because they would lose business to Burger King, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, Chick-Fil-A, Subway, Jimmy John’s, Arby’s, In-N-Out, A&W, Rally’s Chipotle, White Castle, Dairy Queen, Del Taco, KFC, Sonic, and I haven’t even mentioned all the Chinese places out there. That’s the difference when there are a dozen competitors instead of just a few.

And this is just a tip of the iceberg of this issue. There are a lot of ways the industry could be more consumer-friendly but it doesn’t happen because we’re already at a low number of competitors. In fact, it’s less consumer friendly than it was when I first got a cell phone about seven years ago. When I got my first smartphone in 2007 from Verizon, I had the choice of getting a data package or passing on it. Try doing that now. When I first got my cellphone in 2005, my family had a fairly small number of minutes. Since then, nobody offers a family plan with that few of minutes and when they first got rid of that plan, the new lowest amount cost more than what we were paying.

If conservatives are going to sing the praises of capitalism (and there are plenty and this is in no way to take away from them), they can’t be ignorant of potential drawbacks. It’s foolish.

From a Constitutional standpoint, the federal government has grounds for being involved in this issue. Art I Section 8 gives the federal government the role of regulating interstate commerce. Well when I make a call from my home in Michigan to my brother in Alaska, that’s interstate commerce. I’m using a T-Mobile tower in my home town and the call is being routed to a tower in the home state of Sarah Palin. My cell phone and plan also work if I leave the state and wander somewhere else. No matter how you cut it, the cell phone industry is interstate trade. T-Mobile has its headquarters in Washington. AT&T has their headquarters in Texas. Carriers talk about nation-wide coverage and not state-wide coverage. No matter how you cut it, it’s interstate commerce.

History is even on my side of this argument. There was a phone monopoly a number of years ago before cell phones. That monopoly has been broken up and I don’t think anyone’s saying that that was a mistake. What was the name of the company that was broken up again???

So because of the rules of economics and what’s written in our Constitution, this is really the only possible conclusion for conservatives to come to on this issue. Any other conclusion is a betrayal of what we know about economics and the Constitution.

Understanding our Republic

I think one of the first steps on my path to becoming a conservative started in school. I’ll never forget hearing my teachers tell me that we were a democracy while sharing the definitions of various types of governments. Among these types of governments included a description of a republic. To me, it just sounded like a better explanation of our government. I would say this to my teachers but the usual response was something along the lines of “But we call ourselves a democracy.” That’s actually not the right way to look at our government.

To get everyone up to speed, I thought I’d share the definition of a republic and the definition of a democracy. Wikipedia says that “Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives.” So a real world example of true “Democracy in Action” would be when a local government has a vote on a millage and every registered voter in the community gets to vote.

The definition of a republic from Wikipedia is different. It says “A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people.” Dictionary.com goes on to add “A state in which the head of government is not a monarch or other hereditary head of state.”

This is much more like our federal government. I didn’t personally have a say in ObamaCare. However, my representative and senators did.

Some may look at this and see both elements in our government. Sure, it was my representative and senators who had a vote in ObamaCare (republic), but it’s the people of my district and state that voted those people in office (democracy). However, one of these two is more important to the structure and operation of government.

Let’s remove all democratic elements of our government. Let’s imagine that instead of voting for our representatives in DC, they were chosen in a different fashion. Perhaps they’re chosen in a manner similar to jury duty. We can do this and the structure of our government is still the same. We still have a Congress representing us. We still have someone serving as the executive. We would still have a Supreme Court. Our three branches are sill around.

Now let’s remove all republican aspects of our government. The structure of our government goes away completely. We no longer would have anyone representing us. We would be the ones who vote on every single issue. Our government would be completely restructured. Because of this fact, we clearly have a republic.

Our Founding Fathers intended for our country to be a republic. The evidence can be seen in history. Consider our Pledge of Allegiance. It says “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands.”

In his inaugural address, George Washington said “And since the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” The words “Democracy” and “Democratic” never show up.

In the Federalist Papers, the United States is called a republic and compared to other republics. In Federalist #1, Alexander Hamilton listed what he planned to discuss in his writings. In this he wrote “…to the attainment of this object the conformity of the proposed constitution to the true principles of republican government…”

So why does this debate matter? It defines our government and, therefore, how we view our government. When one looks at our government as a democracy, they’re going to view it differently. An example of this can be seen in a debate common in introductory political science classes. Should we keep the electoral college or move to a popular vote? With a democratic view of our government, the electoral college doesn’t make much sense. With a republican view of our government, that’s not so clean and clear.

Probably the most important thing to consider when it comes to a republican view of government compared to a democratic view is how one views the debate of “Rule of Law” or “Rule of Man.” Under a rule of man, an individual or a group of individuals (such as a mob majority) have the final say on all matters. Under a rule of law, the law has the final say. An example of this is the Constitution being the supreme law of the land.

When one says the democratic elements trump the republican parts of our government, they are essentially negating the Constitution. The Constitution was ratified by a group of representatives. After all, I never voted on the Constitution. So if the popular vote is most important, that means a majority are more important than the Constitution. Therefore, every protection and freedom provided by the Constitution can be wiped out by a simple majority vote of the population. The whole idea of being a republic is looking pretty good, isn’t it?

I created this picture to illustrate my point (and to have a chuckle at the expense of OWS). The Constitution was written and ratified by a small percentage of the country. 1% is actually generous. But the point is still clear. The document created by these people doesn’t necessarily represent the will of a majority on any given subject at any given time. But if we emphasize democracy over the republic, then we essentially erase this document and replace it with the mob.

And the mob can be controlled. This can largely be done by emotion. Look at a number of political ads that have appeared. Take this ad by the people at We Are Ohio:

Who are you again?

Issue 2 was about limiting collective bargaining by public sector employees (Senate Bill 5). This ad features an old lady talking about how firefighters saved her great-granddaughter. It provides no evidence that the bill would indeed lead to fewer firefighters, but it does make a heck of an emotional play. This old lady isn’t an expert in public finance, political science, or anything of that sort. The ad features no substance and silly rhetoric ("The politicians don’t care about the middle class. They’ve turned their backs on all of us”). But that shot of her and her great-granddaughter? Well in the court of public opinion that’s worth more than hard facts.

The power of emotions is just one part of the problem. President Obama’s “Attack Watch” website is another good example. The site is an attempt to tackle false information that’s working its way around the internet and news. On top of that, not every person is fully educated on every issue and topic. Is it easier to educate a few hundred people who showed the initiative to run for office or a few million that showed up because Diddy told them to or die?

That’s the danger we face when we look at our country as a democracy instead of a republic. We work so hard to obtain the characteristics of a democracy because we think we’re a democracy that we run the risk of ignoring the problems that come with that structure.

It’s not to say it’s going to all happen overnight. But it’s the direction we’re headed. Consider the 17th Amendment. It moved us from our state governments selecting our senators to a popular vote. Look at the polls on the nightly news. By and large, they look at what the general population thinks about a bill. Politicians look at what’s popular instead of what’s right. What else will change for our country all in the name of democracy?

So while some of my professors and colleagues believe I’m splitting hairs when it comes to this debate, I believe that it’s a very important distinction to make. How we define anything has a big role in how we view it. We must keep this in mind when it comes to our government.

Something for Your Sunday

Most of the time on this blog, I talk about politics and the sort. However, I spend my Sunday mornings at church and my Wednesday evenings at a Bible Study. I work with an organization called The Hungarian American Fellowship which works to bring the Gospel to orphans in Hungary that wouldn't hear it otherwise.

God is clearly something important to me. The Grace He provides me each and every day is among the best things going for me. So every now and then, I'll share something short and sweet related to this topic.

For the past week, this song has been stuck in my head. I thought I'd share it.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you

As Veterans Day approaches, my mind goes to those that risked and sacrificed so much to serve our country in the military. Their sacrifice does not go unnoticed.

I’ve had the honor of knowing some of these people. I remember my grandfather who flew during World War II. I think of an usher at my church that was there when the allies stormed Normandy. I see my friend Tom who is learning to become a helicopter pilot in the US military, sacrificing time away from his wife and family. I think of Steve, a teammate of mine from high school, who put his life on hold so he can go help make sure I’m free to live mine.

And then there are my students. While I give them the pitch to go to my alma mater, nothing impresses me more than when one says they’re going to join the military. I feel blessed to have played a role in their lives.

As a political science major and a political commentator, I like to talk about the Founding Fathers that gave us this country and our flag. But it’s the men and women of our military who won’t get their name in a history book that have kept this country and our flag from falling. They are the ones who deserve our respect more than any other group in American history.

I’m blessed by these men and women in more than one way. They are incredibly wonderful people. They’re giving, mature, and they truly are the best of us. They have encouraged me to be the same.

While I’m not able to serve due to a number of medical reasons, I don’t feel like our country has lost out too much in me remaining a civilian. That’s because those that are out there risking life and limb do such an amazing job. Consider some of their accomplishments:

• When facing the strongest military during the American Revolution, our men and women secured liberty for all of us.
• During the War of 1812, our nation’s Capitol was burning but they didn’t give up.
• When our country was divided in the Civil War, they stood up for what they believe even if that meant firing at a neighbor.
• When we entered World War I, they lived in the cold and damp trenches so freedom could survive.
• When we were facing Germany and Japan, they were able to win on both fronts.
• When communism worked its way into countries around the world, they went to defend those who were defenseless.
• When America was attacked on 9/11, they went out into harsh environments so we wouldn’t have to deal with that kind of horror again.

We are lucky to have these people represent us. It’s important that not only do we take the time to thank them, but also understand them, who they are, and what they go through.

Kim Kardashian divorce + pro-gay Star Trek cast-member = Stupidity

And the dream has ended. After being married for less than 3 months, Kim Kardashian and whoever she married are calling it quits. Before I get to the point of this post, here are a few things that last(ed) longer than a Kim Kardashian wedding:

• The wait for Android updates to arrive on your particular device
• Firefly’s run on Fox
• The time it takes to open that STUPID plastic packaging without going into a fit of rage or suffering from numerous deep lacerations to your hands
• The time between Bill Maher’s comments that actually have value
• Keith Olbermann’s career on MCNBC of all channels
• William Hung’s celebrity status
• A McDonald’s burger left out in the hot sun
• The virtual pet fad
• A member of Occupy Wall Street’s time in an actual college classroom
• A member of Occupy Wall Street’s last high
• The time between episodes of House where something different actually happens

Okay, now to the main point. During much of the joking around that inevitably took place after a wedding that lasted only a couple of months, George Takei of Star Trek fame and a number of mediocre films, TV shows, and commercials got in on the discussion. For those who don’t know who George Takei is, he’s one of the latest roles.

Regarding Kardashian’s recent divorce following her recent marriage, Takei tweeted “Kim Kardashian files for divorce after 72 days. Another example of how same-sex marriage is destroying the sanctity of the very institution.” After seeing this get re-tweeted a number of times, I got annoyed. What follows very well expresses what I said after reading Takei’s tweet:

I’ve heard this argument time and time again. It is so stupid at its very core, it’s amazing it’s still being used. Nobody is claiming that marriages that don’t even last as long as a 90-day warranty aren’t hurting the sanctity of marriage. So why do those who support gay marriage use divorce as an attempt to make those who oppose gay marriage look like hypocrites?

What Kim Kardashian did is pathetic. If it wasn’t, the whole internet wouldn’t be mocking her. If we thought it was acceptable, it wouldn’t be a headline. She’ll have to deal with the fallout and ramifications on her own. What Brittany Spears did with her marriage that lasted until the hangover wore off is also a disgrace. Nobody is defending these things and saying they’re fine or that they don’t hurt the sanctity of marriage.

Let’s set the record straight. Divorce rates being what they are today hurt the sanctity of marriage. Pre-marital sex hurts the sanctity of marriage. Affairs hurt the sanctity of marriage. Couples that play “house” prior to getting married just because they can hurt the sanctity of marriage. Gay marriage hurts the sanctity of marriage. That’s how it is.

For those who are lost or don’t see what I’m saying, let me put it like this. It’s like WWII and we have people saying “We need to stop the Germans. We can’t let the Germans take over another country!” What Takei said with his argument would be the equivalent of someone saying “Yeah. The Germans. Because it was the Germans that bombed Pearl Harbor. They’re the real threat to America.” The people going on and on about Germany didn’t say Japan wasn’t an issue. They’re just making sure people understand that the Nazis also pose a threat instead of leaving them unchecked. Just because they aren’t ranting about it as loudly doesn’t mean they don’t see it. Occupy Wall Street is ranting right now about the problems we have in this country surrounding corporations and the “crimes” they commit. I guess they don’t believe the things such as assault and rape aren’t that big of a crime. Wait! That’s a bad example!

Let’s try this. People that fight against animal cruelty must not believe domestic violence is that big of a deal because that’s not the cause they’re fighting for. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) must not have a problem with kids who will go hungry today because they never mention that problem. At least that’s the same logic Takei is using.

So let’s please stop with the stupid, idiotic arguments. They accomplish only one thing. They make the person using them look like an ignorant fool who can’t think for themselves and would better serve this world if they were a parrot since that’s all they can do. I say all of this because if there’s one thing we need to rid ourselves of in this country, it’s stupidity. The first step to that is getting rid of stupid arguments. Step 2? That’s probably that plastic packaging that we all hate.

What do we want in a President?

In recent news broadcasts, we’ve been hearing more and more about Herman Cain and an alleged case of sexual harassment. Most articles have centered around the debate of the timing in relation to his climb in the polls, if the claims are true, and what the source of the story actually was. My question: Does it matter?

Being a football fan, I can’t help but think of the Pittsburgh Steelers. As a Steelers fan, I’ve seen story and story about quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s off-field antics. They can be, to say the least, embarrassing. His behavior at times has been closer to that of a child than a grown adult. But am I calling for him to be removed from the team? No. Not at all.

The reason for that is because I have to consider what matters in a quality quarterback. In short, there’s a reason Pittsburgh has made so many trips to the Super Bowl in recent history and Ben Roethlisberger is a big factor. He has what matters when it comes to being a quarterback. If I had a single sister who wanted to date him, that would be a completely different story. I don’t care how much money he’s making, there’d just be no way.

And this brings me back to Herman Cain. What does this whole thing have to do with his ability to fulfill the job as president? If he was sexually suggestive to a couple of women, it just means he’d make a lousy significant other and I’d have reservations if he wanted to pastor my church. But it doesn’t say anything about his ability to fix the economy, get people back to work, or restore state rights.

Kayleigh McEnany recently wrote an article in the Daily Caller that discussed the concept of a president we’d like to have a beer with. She makes a good point in saying that the important thing is that they’re a good leader. A President needs to have good policies and the ability to get things done.

This all makes perfect sense. Each job has different qualifications. Anything outside those qualifications really doesn’t matter. If I ran a Formula 1 team, I would want a driver who has the talent needed to drive an F1 car. If he bashes Ronald Reagan in his spare time, that just means I probably won’t be inviting him over for dinner very often. On the flip side, I’m looking for a candidate who can bring back the Reagan philosophy. If they struggle with their turn signal, it just means I’ll think twice about hitting the road when I know they’re driving… anywhere… in the known universe.

Now I’m not a Cain supporter. I’m not sold on his “9-9-9” plan quite yet. But it is important that we keep this race focused on what matters: Who’s going to make America great again? And much like Ben Roethlisberger’s off-field antics, I don’t see too much impact on Cain’s ability to lead unless these allegations end up being significantly bigger than most seem to believe they are. This whole thing doesn’t change the value of his “9-9-9” plan. It doesn’t wipe away his experience in the private sector.

All this story is doing is it’s distracting from the conversations that really matter during this campaign. I would like to see more analysis on “9-9-9.” I want to hear more of what Newt Gingrich has to say as he’s been impressive as of late. I would like to get a better idea of how Mitt Romney is going to be a conservative leader in the White House. None of these have anything to do with the off-field antics of any of the candidates. Now if I had a single family member looking to date one of them…

The brilliance of Occupy Wall Street

I know I’ve been on this horse for a long time. But, there’s just so much to say about Occupy Wall Street. Since it’s a Friday, I’m going to share videos from YouTube about this and provide my commentary.

My idea for this started with Steven Crowder’s video for the week. So to understand where I’m starting from, here’s the video:

Well this inspired me to look into some videos right from OWS. What are these people thinking?

The first piece of entertainment involves a guy complaining about racism (which I didn’t know was part of the OWS mission). He complains about people calling white people crackers and saying that it’s wrong when anyone says that white people are part of the problem. Oh wait, that’s what he does. His definition of capitalism, by the way, is the middle finger. I missed that one in my econ classes. Be warned, there is a LOT of profanity… because apparently profanity helps make someone sound sane and rationale.

“Name a black person who has the power to control anything in this country?” Did he really ask that?!?

This next one cracks me up! I knew it was going to be interesting when it starts off with one person calling another “Comrade.” But the real gem is when a woman complains about paying taxes on her unemployment. Hold on. Now I’m not sure how exactly the taxes work on unemployment, but let me get this straight. She gets free money and then the people who give her the money ask for a little bit of it back? She then complains about corporations that are profitable getting more breaks tax-wise than she is. I question that, but let’s run with it. She thinks it’s upside down that someone who is profitable is treated better than someone who’s not producing anything? I’d like to see where that kind of thinking would get us as a nation. Actually, I take that back. I don’t want to see that because I would be in the middle of it. She then says these corporations are doing nothing. She just said they’re profitable. I challenge her to do nothing AND be profitable. There can only be one Snooki and that role is taken.

Runner-up on this next video is the guy who goes on about how corporations are ruining health care and how he worries how it will impact his daughter and how he wants her healthcare guaranteed. Having had a battle with cancer, I know how corporations work in health care. When I needed a scan, there was a big “GE” logo on the machine. Who produced the drugs I needed? Medical corporations. It was a network of “evil corporations” that brought the doctors I needed together. We could get corporations out of healthcare, but that also means we’re probably headed back towards a world of leeches and other medieval kinds of healthcare. But enough talk. Enjoy!

Next up is a student complaining about how we’re pretty much trapped when it comes to going to college. I agree. But isn’t that more because we’ve made the high school diploma practically worthless? She should Occupy a classroom, not Wall Street.

But it seems I’ve stumbled on why the Occupy Wall Street movement exists. The problem is misinformation. Take the guy in this upcoming video:

He talks about a politician. It sounds like he’s saying “Harry Brawn.” I’ve never heard of Harry Brawn. I did an internet search and came up with nothing. There was a Harry Browne. Looking through some books he wrote, he’s clearly a capitalist. Between “The Secret of Selling Anything” and “You Can Profit from a Monetary Crisis” he’s hardly in line with the movement.

He then makes up stuff about the 5th Amendment saying that it says that the people have the right to vote on anything Congress passes. Here’s the 5th Amendment for you:

“No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”

Anyone who knows the very basics of the Constitution knows the 5th Amendment covers things such as double jeopardy and self incrimination. It’s not an amendment about Congress, but the rights of the accused. Maybe if this guy spent some time in a government class that taught the Constitution, then he wouldn’t be so gullible.

Finally, I want to take a look at what Occupy Wall Street is accomplishing. They set out to take down the corporate fat cats and stand up for the little guy. Well, how’s that working out?

And yet, Apple Stores and Bank of America branches across the nation are open for business

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Occupy Wall Street

I thought it would be a good idea to break down what we’re hearing out of these nuts at Occupy Wall Street. After all, since they apparently don’t have anything to contribute to the workplace (if they did, they’d go to these things called jobs), it might be interesting to see what they have to say.

 

The Good

While I’ve heard that if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all, it’s really hard to do that with this crowd. However, I wanted to stay true to this. I figured that even a broken clock is right twice a day. So it shouldn’t be too surprising to find something that the NYC campers have gotten right.

One common theme at OWS is in regards to the bank bailouts and how those were a mistake. That’s very true. The banks should have just failed. Americans were insured thanks to FDIC and it wouldn’t have been as disastrous as some painted it to be. Those who could run quality banks that didn’t take stupid risks could have stepped up and filled in the gap. If there was any concern about lost revenue, the government could have selected to allow dollars that have left the US for tax reasons to return to the country tax free and we could have new investments to make up for any loss that may have happened.

As far as those who had more in a bank than what they were insured by the FDIC, well that’s their problem. I’ve heard from a number of people who bring up cases like Enron. Well if there’s anything to be learned from Enron, it’s that we shouldn’t put all our eggs in one basket. We constantly hear about building up a nest egg and we take that a bit too literally as a single egg can only be in one place. Here’s a novel concept: Have nest eggs and put them in different places. That way, when one goes bust, it’s not the end of the world.

The Occupy Wall Street Crowd also seems to be opposed to crony capitalism. Well they can join the Tea Party and a number of conservatives. I hear Michelle Malkin and Sarah Palin complain about this more than Keith Olbermann. While most comparisons between the OWS crowd and the Tea Party are completely misguided, this is the one and only place where they are similar. I just find it interesting that I haven’t seen too many signs about Solyndra at the protests. Perhaps they aren’t against all crony capitalism. They’re just against the cases they don’t agree with. So much like the broken clock, OWS is right on two occasions.

The only thing about their these two complaints would be that it shows how misguided OWS really is. The bank bailouts and crony capitalism are things done by Washington and not Wall St. The government didn’t have to give hand outs to these organizations. Why are they camped out in New York?

 

The Bad

The Occupy Wall St Crowd constantly says that they are the 99%. Actually, that’s far from the case. They’re more like the 1%

• Around 7% of the people in the world have a college degree
• Only about 45% of the countries in the world are free
• Less than 9% of people in the world own a car
• About 20% of people in the world own a TV
• 40% of people in the world don’t have indoor plumbing
• They’re asking for iPads and iPhones which would put them in a global minority
• Then there’s water
• A 5 minute shower uses more water than some people in developing countries use in an entire day
• 884 million people lack access to safe water. That’s about one in eight
• Half of the world’s hospitalizations are attributed to water-related illnesses

In the case of OWS, a number of them have college degrees, own a car, have a TV, have indoor plumbing (or have been using a cop car as a replacement), and can get clean water. Given all of this, OWS is closer to representing the 1% of the world than the 99%.

 

The Ugly

I could go into the sanitary issues currently at play in the hippie camps, but that’s all too easy. And since a picture is worth a thousand words, I’ll just use a couple of those.

I like the sign that says “Capitalism Doesn’t Work” in the background. In this camp of socialists, garbage collectors apparently don’t work. If nothing else, that’s enough for me to side with the greedy capitalist fat cats.

I like how the hippies are using cardboard for signs and then just abandon them. I wonder how many of them are tree huggers.

OK. Now that we’ve poked fun at that, let’s focus on the complete ignorance in one statement I’ve heard all too often from the OWS movement. They say corporations aren’t people.

When I was in high school, I had some money set aside for my college education. Well, I wanted to increase the amount of money in that pot. So what did I do? I bought stock.

I didn’t buy a lot, but at one time, I was part owner of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), a corporation that makes computer processors. I was a part of that company. If the company went belly-up, I would have lost something. I was invested in the corporation.

Corporations are people who have come together for various reasons. Some are looking to make some money so they can live out their dream. Others are trying to create a product or service that people will like. When a corporation fails, people are the ones who are hurt because they were a part of that corporation. If corporations weren’t people, then when Enron went south, nobody would have cared. Nobody would have argued to bail out GM or Chrysler if corporations weren’t people.

But then OWS doesn’t understand this. They just see “corporation” and think of it like it’s a machine. They don’t think of the car salesman who’s working to support his family by selling cars with a corporate logo on it. They don’t think of the bank teller when they see a giant “Bank of America.” They don’t consider the engineer who earned his/her position by being the best at what they do when they look at a computer. They look at a corporation and think it’s a robot. That’s far from the truth. Corporations provide jobs, products, and services for all of us. The same can’t be said of these bums who are trashing a park and not producing anything for the rest of us. Corporations came together and put together my computer, phone, and meals. These socialists came together and put together a giant pile of garbage and the biggest indictment of the American education system to date. That’s just ugly.

So as OWS goes into another week of camping in a park and no clear voice, keep in mind that while there’s some good, it’s outweighed by a lot of bad and a whole lot of ugly.

Let’s Focus on What Lasts

So my Twitter feed has been blowing up regarding Kim Kardashian’s wedding. Now let’s ignore the fact that Kim Kardashian makes almost no real contribution to society (Just edging out the Occupy Wall St. crowd in real relevance). But instead look at our culture’s reaction to the whole event.

We, as a nation, have become obsessed with weddings. It has become our primary focus when it comes to relationships. A number of sources report the average cost of a wedding being over $25,000. That’s a down payment on a house! There’s even people who hold the title “Wedding Planner.” We’ve become so focused on that one day that we hire people to make it perfect.

From just observing our culture, it appears that people get married so they can have a wedding instead of having a wedding so they can get married. This is the most backwards thing we have going on as a country.

I’m reminded of a story I heard from a pastor friend of mine. A couple he was going to marry was spending thousands upon thousands of dollars on the wedding. Yet, when it came to a $45 fee for premarital counseling, they turned away from it, saying it was too expensive. So despite evidence that suggests premarital counseling can increase the chance that a couple will stay together, they couldn’t cut back on the wedding cake or flowers in order to afford it. Instead of “’til death do us part,” their marriage runs the risk of lasting as long as the cake or the flowers.

Yet, where is our focus? It’s on the wedding day. It’s on a 24 hour period and then for some, the week or so honeymoon after it. That’s all indicative of why we have such a high divorce rate in the US. It tells quite the story.

Why isn’t our focus on the 50 year wedding anniversaries? Where are the $25,000 celebrations of a marriage that lasts? Why do we champion a one day event that can be negated by a few legal documents? But here we are… a nation obsessed with weddings.

Now I’m not married. But when I picture the idea in my head of being married, I don’t immediately think of the flower arrangement. I don’t imagine the bride’s dress. What I picture in my head looks more like this.

Well, not quite. I wouldn’t have a mustache and I wouldn’t have a hat like that. But that’s the idea.

Let’s redirect our focus. Instead of being obsessed with weddings, let’s get excited about marriage. Perhaps that will help out our country more than anything else.

Ignorance or Arrogance? The President Presents a Lack of Understanding

This week, President Obama held a press conference discussing a number of issues, but center stage was the President’s jobs plan. It ended up being a display of either Obama’s ignorance or arrogance.While this applies to a number of issues that were discussed, the part that stuck out the most were claims regarding the Republicans and their jobs plan.

One thing Obama said was “They’ve given me a list of, well, here’s the Republican job creation ideas: Let’s pass free trade agreements.”

If Obama did any homework, he would know that the Republicans have offered more than that. In fact, free trade isn’t their central push. The center of the Republican jobs plan is to cut back on excessive regulations that make it hard for companies to invest and build. That can be seen in the legislation they’re pushing and passing in the House of Representatives. But that’s not the picture painted this week by the White House. President Obama acted as if the Republicans are doing nothing and offering nothing.

This can be seen in other statements by Obama “…they haven’t given a good reason why they’re opposed to putting construction workers back on the job, or teachers back in the classroom.”

It’s not about putting construction workers or teachers back on the job. It’s that these approaches don’t amount to much. They don’t generate work through their work. Once the road is built or the school year is over, that’s the end of the story. It’s clear that Obama’s mentioning these jobs because how could anyone be opposed to putting teachers to work and construction workers on the job? It’s clear because these are the occupations he goes to over and over and over. He said “teachers” nine times and “construction workers” four times in the press conference. By the way, the Republicans did say why they’re opposed to Obama’s plan. The Republicans did that back in the middle of September. Either Obama’s ignorant or too arrogant to actually listen to the other side.

This wasn’t a one time thing. President Obama also said that anyone out there who’s thinking of voting against his bill “needs to explain exactly why they would oppose something that we know would improve our economic situation at such an urgent time for our families and for our businesses.” Again, the Republicans did that almost a month ago.

More ignorance came up when Obama said “If it turns out that there are Republicans who are opposed to this bill, they need to explain to me -- but more importantly, to their constituencies and the American people -- why they’re opposed and what would they do.” How many times do the Republicans have to say why they’re opposed to the bill until Obama understands that they’ve done this. Also, this shouldn’t be an “if” statement. Anyone who follows Washington knows that there are Republicans who are opposed to the bill.

Obama stuck with this whole thing, saying that Republicans are opposed to things such as tax cuts. He said “It is now up to all the senators, and hopefully all the members of the House, to explain to their constituencies why they would be opposed to common-sense ideas that historically have been supported by Democrats and Republicans in the past. Why would you be opposed to tax cuts for small businesses and tax cuts for American workers?” Again, the Republicans have said what they don’t like about the bill but they also talked about what they did like. In the memo released back in September, the GOP stated they liked eight different parts of the Obama jobs bill including tax cuts. But Obama didn’t hear that for some reason. It’s as if he wants to be in gridlock with the Republicans. He’s not trying to find common ground and he’s not showing urgency. If he was, he’d just run with these parts of the bill and work on the others later.

The urgency issue is one that Obama did stress during the press conference. He used the phrase “right now” four times in his opening. He went on to say it more than 15 times regarding the economy. I’d say that Obama views the matter as being urgent, but he said that the Senate would vote on his bill next week. On the same day, House Speaker John Boehner released a statement praising the House for passing a part of the Republican jobs plan. During the same week, the House would consider another bill limiting regulations on businesses. This isn’t “next week” talk. It’s here and it’s now. If anyone acting “right now,” it’s Speaker Boehner and the GOP.

President Obama also proved himself ignorant of the arguments being made by his opposition. He said “And historically, Republicans haven’t been opposed to rebuilding roads and bridges. Why would you be opposed now?” It’s like he really doesn’t understand why, with our massive debt and out-of-control federal spending, Republicans would be opposed to building roads and bridges. It’s like going to Abraham Lincoln’s wife the day after the President was shot and saying “I don’t know why you didn’t enjoy your time at the Ford Theater. You usually love going there!”

This was not a display of leadership. It was a little over an hour of finger pointing and blame games. By showing up completely clueless to a press conference, Obama ended up looking completely ignorant or arrogant. Neither are characteristics that resonate with voters.